Mom’s Friend’s Son (2024)

Disappointment of the year with awful kisses on top

[This was actually a pretty long rant, but I had to remove 2/3 of it because MDL limits reviews to 10 000 characters]

Started well, then turned into a crying fest, then went back to what it should have done from the beginning but in such an unearned, nonsensical and jarring way, that this supposed 'rom com' turned into a parody of its genre : Terribly formulaic, no satisfying closure to any of the conflicts raised and a final cop-out twist in episode 13 that definitely cemented this drama into the mediocre and forgettable category.

Final ratings 4.

My love for both leads saved me from giving less. The show was weak but the performances were strong but alas my frustration level got so HIGH and the over-the-top “fake sweetness” of the last episodes prevented me from giving this a passing grade. In fact given how annoyed I got… had it been other actors, I’d probably would have given less.

When a show is not consistent with itself, that’s were I draw the line.

But let’s start with the good... err 10 000 characters limit so let's forget it, there's plenty of other reviews for that.

Now..

On to the long rant (sigh...)

This show doesn’t know what it wants to do. Is it Melo, Slice of Life, Rom’ Com? Choose what you want to do and stick to it. You want realistic problems with realistic solutions ? Sure. Then follow through with all characters.
Every single problem these characters faced apart from Seok Ryu’s were magically resolved overnight.

Absentee parents ? No problem, let’s all hug, and over 30 years of neglect are swept under the rug. Estranged couple with NO COMMUNICATION whatsoever notably because of the assumption that one is cheating the other ? No problem ! The dude with whom she is supposed to have cheated is gay. So all of these years of not talking disappear overnight after some dramatic night in the forest !
Also the husband who has been shown to always be busy because of his work at the hospital, has now all the time in the world to get drunk literally everyday with Seok Ryu’s dad. Makes no sense, but since these two were the only ones that truly made me genuinely smile/laugh by the end of this drama, I’ll give them a pass.

Children are not stupid, if they see your careers are more important than they are in your eyes, they learn the hard way to become indifferent very early in life. Seung Hyo caring about your divorce?At 34? Seriously? As if! If he even cared about the both of you at that point that would be short of a miracle.

Ah… but it’s a rom com’, why so serious? Why? I don’t know, ask the show. They went into a full cancer nightmare, work harassment, blaming shit, crying fest and so on and so forth for more than 6 episodes, so I feel entitled to get the same amount of care for issues foreshadowed since episode 1. Is that too much to ask?

Wife gas-lighting her husband literally every day ? Let’s put some drama in so that she makes a grand declaration because even if she gaslights him, she’s got his back so everything is forgotten. She doesn’t need to change because « her heart is in the right place ». And I’m not even talking about her hitting literally everything that moves.

Little Brother is spoiled and want easy money. Got scammed one more time, made his parents loose some money AGAIN, but poor dude is crying because he’s just a victim of circumstances. Big sis is doing a small talk and we’re all back on good terms ?
NOPE. Doesn’t work show.

Journalist’s got a daughter so you can see how Mo Eum and him can’t be a couple because of South Korean’s society… BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT NOPE. Plot twist, his daughter is actually his niece so there’s no longer any real obstacle because this show HAS NO BALLS !!!

But we do need to have the mother opposed to it for I don’t know why, because there’s 3 episodes left, and by God do we need to fill the minutes… with these overly long-ass episodes.

As for the romance…. My God, let’s just forget how it started. I don’t even know were to start, and this review is already too long…

The good : Seung Hyo and his ex. That was actually a pretty satisfying and realistic part of the drama. Not overly dramatic just pretty natural and nice. Gotta give praise where it’s due.

The VERY bad: Seok Ryu, her ex and her present


The ex comes to visit South Korea and win Seok Ryu back. At that point, Seung Hyo is not yet going out with Seok Ryu. Yet, he feels entitled to act jealous, is extremely rude to her ex who HE DOESN’T KNOW, acts like he’s got dibs on her when she hasn’t even agreed to be with him.

WHAT.A.TURN.OFF

But it’s Jung Hae In, he’s the male lead so we’re supposed to give him a pass. So Ok. I’ll give a pass to this MAJOR RED FLAG.

Any man acting in such an overbearing way when you’re not even going out together yet is to be fled from immediately. You can be sure it’s gonna be worse once you get together. In fact, you can smell the wife’s beater from miles away.

He’s not like this because he likes you. He’s like this because you’re his thing, and you need to stay in line.

But it’s a K drama so don’t worry, once he gets the girl, he’s gonna turn all nice. And you bet he is going to get her because at some point after having declared his love, he tells her  « I don’t do friendship with you no more » meaning if the dude can’t be her boyfriend… he’s decided he’s going to put an end to their 30+ years of friendship.

Another Minus for the Emotional Blackmail.
Also, INCONSISTENCIES anyone ?

Wasn’t the reason why you didn’t want to say your feelings in the first place was because you were afraid of losing your FRIENDSHIP ??? Why are you so willing to flush it down the toilet now ? Are you 13 ? I don’t mind the childish banter but at some point a 34 years old do need to show the maturity of a 34 years-old WHEN IT COUNTS.

Ultimately Seok Ryu gives up Mister Green Flag for Mister Red Flag because of… K Drama. She cries at the airport and I wonder why.
Either you still have some feelings and you cry because you’re realizing what a gigantic mistake you’re making or you don’t.

It wouldn’t have been nice for the fiance to say : " I realize you never loved me as much as I did. I supported you through your darkest time, put my career on hold for a year, you threw me away for one dispute, I crossed a whole continent to win you back, only to realize your heart never truly belonged to me. It’s a good thing we broke up. I deserve better".

But it’s a K drama so, we can’t make the FL look like she acted terrible towards a man who’s only crime was to love her so he apologizes for "not helping her the right way" and "realizing she needed other people by her side". And I’m not saying he didn’t make mistakes, but it takes two to tango, and he was the only one who tried to dance.

The truth is, you never loved him enough, you didn’t want to live in the US, you hated your job, you missed a certain someone that wasn’t your fiance. You had plenty of reasons to go back to South Korea, but show decided to put the blame on the break-up YOU initiated instead of on all the elephants in the room.

As far as feelings go, I was never sold on her being with any of them.
It’s difficult to sell a couple when one party was, until recently, engaged with another man who supported her through her cancer ordeal, who she had a five-year intimate relationship with, and who cried crocodile tears when said man left. Obviously you need all these EXTRA SWEETER THAN SWEET scenes to make you believe this relationship is more solid than the one the FL left behind ( THE CRINGE is through the roof)

It was too melo before so by episode 11 it’s in sweet overdrive – to the point of turning the show utterly ridiculous, boring and cringe. As soon as our lead are together they sleep together. As soon as they sleep together, we’re speeding to the marriage proposal??? Girl got engaged after ¾ years of dating with Saint Ex, but not even half a year has passed since she broke off her marriage that she already has another dude’s bracelet around her wrist. .

It would have been good if all that sugar had been peppered throughout the whole show instead of drenching viewers in it for the last episodes... Also since they need to make us feel some empathy for the other characters we get all the conflicts I talked about above, resolved in speedy, unsatisfactory and ridiculous fashion. Even when there was supposed to be legitimate issues, the show treated it as a 'non problem' and I would have given an example if there was no 10 000 characters limit.
This writer needs some fake dramatic plot device such as: husband being scammed by V-tubers, Little bro being scammed by fake protein company, Mother who thinks she’s got Alzheimer and gets lost in forest, Seok Ryu breaking his arm and so on and so forth... in order to get some great empty declaration of love or other BS, so that the conflict is resolved.

The drama concludes with a very neat (and predictable) but dissatisfying little bow. I slugged my way to the end, only managing to finish because I cut each episodes in 4 to 5 parts alternating with more engaging shows or surfing online.


Last but not least… WHY do I have to commit to 3 HOURS EACH WEEK for a ROM COM’ ?!
A FUDGING ROM COM DOESN’T NEED 3 HOURS A WEEK!!!
ARE YOUR DRAMAS ANY BETTER ‘CUZ THEY’RE LONGER?

NOPE. THEY.ARE. NOT!!! WHY TVN WHY?

So please, for the love of all Drama gods Past , Present and Future, STOP THIS INSANITY!

Leia Mais

Thoughts up until ep 9

Current thoughts by ep 10:
The male lead is super whiney most of the time he is on screen with the female lead, seems to me like he was signed onto the project for his emotional acting saying every scene hes in is emontional as hell.
The female lead is either doing a great job playing something who hasnt fully coped with situation or just isnt great at doing emotional scenes. Ive felt in the past two episodes her acting has not matched the story of whats happening to her but again it could be that shes playing the role of someone whos lost and depressed super duper well.
The reporter and paramedic I find a lot more interesting
Idk if you are suppose to hate the ex, but after watching this ep I would argue he hasnt really done anything wrong
The parents hating the cooking thing I still dont understand, im assuming its got something to do with the dad
For most kdramas there is usually one major trope that drives the story, and the one for this was faked out with the stating that one of them cheated but in reality its something else that is introduced halfway thru. I dont have a problem with this but it makes hard to hate/dislike the ex, saying it seemed like he did everything well in regards to the issue.

Leia Mais

Friends to lovers a favorite trope. Sweet and heart warming romance

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy drama with 16, 70-80 minute episodes.

First, I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis


Bae Seok-ryu (Jung So-min) seems to be living the perfect life abroad as a upper manager in a global company.  Her career appers to be going well and she is doing well in her personal life with a prestigious international lawyer fiancé, Song Hyeon-jun (Han Joon-woo).  Her mother, Na Mi-sook (Park Ji-young) has a lot to brag about she feels to her friend and rival Seo Hye-sook (Jang Young-nam).  Hye sook is the mother of Seok-ryu’s friend, Choi Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-in), who she grew up with.  When Seok ryu decides to return to South Korea suddenly to “reset” her life, she finds herself interacting with Seung-hyo frequently as their mothers are friends and they are in the same social circles. Mi sook is not happy with her daughter’s decision to upend what she perceives as a perfect life path. Can Mi sook convince her family and friends she made the right choice? And what about her childhood friend who suddenly sees her as more?

Review

I read a lot of reviews before watching this and, there were a lot of positive reviews but there were also some more negative reviews. I have watched over 300 dramas now, mostly Korean but some Chinese, Tiawanese and Japanese dramas as well. I have watched all of the outstanding dramas so I am really picky when it comes to new dramas. But I loved this drama from start to finish. It has everything I love about a good drama. There are so many heartwarming moments with the family, the friendships, side romances, characters overcoming difficult situations, and of course, with the main couple that it is just a spectacular drama. I would watch it again, even seek it out, and I highly recommend it to anyone that is a fan of any of the actors (they all did outstanding, this type of drama, or are just fans of Korean drama in general.

Spoilers

Let me just say if you haven’t watch this yet and are looking at reviews to decide if you want to, I envy you. Because, if you decide to watch this, I think you will very much enjoy it. You could be among the few that enjoyed it less. But I can see why the majority that I read, really loved it.

It ends very happy. The main couple are together, obviously well on the path to marriage, but, more than that we can see what their future life will be like together. They have a little fight in the end and we see how they will come through conflict like that. All of the side romances are either together or you can see very easily where those relationships are headed. There are some sad moments, but we don’t live through the sad, it’s just telling what happened in the past with her illness. So, it’s what I like to call a happy sandwich. It starts happy, there is some sad event in the middle, but it ends happy. I do not like sad content and will avoid it like the plague but can deal with a little saddness as long as everything resolves and ends happy. I don’t need a rehash of life where that is not always the case, life is usually what I am trying to take a mental break from in watching dramas.

So many nice bonus romances in this. There is main guys mom and dad. Where she was an ambassador so focused on her career she forgot about her husband and son. They are on the verge of divorce, because they aren’t communicating what is really going on with either of them, and then she has that alzheimer/dementia scare that brings home what their true feeling for each other are. That family had to do so much healing and the drama did a great job of taking us on that journey. Surprisingly the mom Seo Hye-sook (Jang Young-nam) was one of my favorite of the older, female characters.

Lead female character’s mom, Na Mi-sook (Park Ji-young) and her emergency medical technician (EMT) friend’s mom, Do Jae-sook (Kim Geum-soon) were what, through so many dramas, we come to expect with a drama mom. They are hyper controlling of their child’s lives even into their 30s. I do not know how true to the culture that is. Asian friends have told me their moms are like that but I don’t know if that is still super prevalant. I found lead female’s mom infuriating at times. Even I, sitting in the 4th wall, knew there had to be something more to the female lead’s sudden return thatn just a “reset”. So the way she treated her, when she first came back, seemed abusive. But, it was a true character type. I knew an American mom that was very much like her. She so did not want her children to make the mistakes she made in her life, that she was completely intolerant of them trying anything remotely similar. They feel like they know the outcome. But two people can do the same thing with different results. It is just harder when you watch one of your children roll those type of dice.

I thought the romance between Jeong Mo-eum (Kim Ji-eun), and (Kang Dan-ho) was on par with the main romance. Not quite as good but reqlly close. She always liked superheroes and the whole “Mudflats Man” concept was cute. They were really very much alike. It was such a wonderful story and the thought they would both be raising the little girl was very wholesome. I felt annoyed when Moeum’s mother was originally opposed to their relationship and even a bit cold to the little girl, but was glad she quickly came around.

I don’t have to spend too much time on just how endearing lead guy was. One of my favorite tropes is the friends to lovers trope because friendship builds such a strong base for a relationship. He was just so there for her it was completely sweet to watch. Yeah he had that error, where his jealous feelings got the better of him and she was reaching out to him during her cancer and he was ignoring her. But he didn’t know she had cancer and she seemed to be clearly with someone else. In a lot of other dramas that would be second guy. Second guy who is her friend, but has feelings for her, but then always misses the timing to tell her. Then, when he tells her, it is too late. What we essentially got to see was second guy successfully get the girl. And I love that. Sweet, loyal second guy is usualy the loser in those situations. It just doesn’t feel as much like he is second guy because we only see her relationship with her ex fiancé in flashbacks. I love the actor. He has the smiliest eyes. And he just portrayed all the emotions so well

I loved Jung So-min in “Alchemy of Souls” so I am biased that it will be good whenever I see her in something. And this did not disappoint. The way she brought out all the emotions in a character that went through something like she did, and the ways she showed the hidden love with lead guy blossom, I loved every minute of it. She is one of my favorite Korean actresses.

The friendships was what set this apart from a mere fuzzy feel good, no depth romance. Thise long standing, with you through it all friendships is the type of connection we all aspire to. The dads were funny drinking buddies. The moms were as volatile as you would expect with a group of close female friends. Watching the bromances and female friendships was like flavorful icing on an already delicious cake. You think you do not want or need it but it is there and it is nice.

This is the type of drama that, when it ends, you miss people that don’t even really exist. It makes me understand, a little, how the actors may feel as they dive into a character and interact for months in another world. As they bring it out and we are feeling all the emotions of events they have to play that through their actual emotions too. I imagine this was a harder one for them to move past as it was so immersive. So I am always so thankful when there is a good drama to everyone that worked so hard to make it possible. I saw an interview with Jung So-min where she talked about this and how much she enjoyed acting with Jung Hae-in and it showed. I though they had amazing chemistry and could see them as a real life couple.

When we learned the real reason she had suddently departed the United States and returned to South Korea, it was such a highly emotionally charged moment. The writers and actors did an exceptional job of illustrating how each family and friend would feel when something that important was kept from them. And yet they were able to make us understand why the main character would have withheld that, in that moment. I wish they had heard more on the way they treated her as someone beneath them because she was a foreigner. Only lead guy really knew that. Because for her to work through not only the fight for her life with cancer but that completely toxic work environment, it was a wonder she didn’t break sooner.

I thought I was going to dislike her ex fiance, Song Hyeon-jun (Han Joon-woo), but was pleasantly surprised I did not. At first I was annoyed he pursued her to South Korea. How dare he come disrupt this beautiful relationship. But, as they built their back story, and he revealed his character it was evident he was not a bad guy, she had just unknowingly had been in love with main guy nearly her whole life. The way he let her go without bitterness showed that he did love her enough to just want her happiness. Same with lead guy’s ex girlfriend, Jang Tae-hui (Seo-hyo). At first I am like who is this love killer but they told their backstory and why she liked him as much as she did that I understood. She also let go of him at the right time and exhibited that she loved him enough to want him to be joyful.

#LoveNextDoor #JungSoMin. #ParkJiYoung. #JangYoungNam. #JungHaeIn #HanJoonWoo #KimGeumSoon #KimJiEun #YoonJi-on

Leia Mais

A Drama Propped Up by Fanbase Loyalty, Not Quality

𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜
The only saving grace was the secondary lead couple,𝘠𝘶𝘯 𝘑𝘪 𝘖𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘪𝘮 𝘑𝘪 𝘌𝘶𝘯 whose chemistry and dynamic brought fleeting moments of light to an otherwise disappointing drama. They had a better storyline, which made their relationship more engaging and enjoyable to watch compared to the main couple.

𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨
Despite Jung Hae In’s charm and Jung So Min’s talent, their chemistry as Choi Seung Hyo and Bae Seok Ryu fell flat. The pair lacked emotional connection and depth, making their romantic relationship feel forced. This, combined with the lack of focus on Seok Ryu’s perspective in falling for Seung Hyo, made their love story unconvincing.

𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙇𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚
It’s undeniable that the drama’s initial high ratings were bolstered by the strong fanbases of Jung So Min and Jung Hae In, as well as an aggressive promotional campaign. However, beyond the hype, the series failed to sustain its appeal.

𝘽𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙐𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚
The drama was marketed as a rom-com, but it veered heavily into melodrama, losing the lighthearted charm it promised. The plot became repetitive and meandering, especially in the second half. By the time the story delved into heavy emotional themes, the pacing felt dragged and unnecessarily stretched. It would have benefited greatly from being condensed into fewer episodes.

𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨
The series leaned heavily on familiar tropes like "childhood friends to lovers," but without innovation or nuance, these clichés felt tired and predictable.

𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: 𝟑/𝟏𝟎
"Love Next Door" had all the ingredients for success but ultimately fell short due to its lackluster chemistry between leads, dragged-out storyline, and failure to deliver on its rom-com premise. The only saving grace was the secondary lead couple.

Leia Mais

What happened?

So, I made it to episode 8, and I think I'm done. What is this? How is it possible to have quite a great cast, huge names, actors I really liked in the past and to eff this up so much?

I normally love Jung So-min, my most favourite drama ever ('because this is my first life') is with her as the FL. I also liked Jung Hae-in in the past, he was great in 'Snowdrop', in 'one spring night', you name it.

But this? Where to begin? I didn't really like the first episode with all the 'funny' farting intro. Not funny. But I kept watching.
There is no, and I mean none - chemistry between the leads. It all seems so acted and cringe, I can hardly watch it.

So we have two mid-thirty people. One is a rich son, with his own business and for Korean standards he looks super attractive. Yet he steadily acts like a 7-year old boy. We are meant to believe that apart from this one relationship he had in the past with this self-confident but oh so friendly and well-meaning ex (unrealistic to the brim by the way) that is steadily showing up for no real reason, he was a virgin-and childlike boy in the body of this now mid thirty man waiting for his childhood girly to return and otherwise staying abstinent? Common. A guy like him, looking like that, being rich and having his own business? He would have lead a very different life if she had been gone to the US for years, and we all know it.

Same goes for our FL. She acts and dresses like a child. Concerning her relationship with the ML she acts like a clumsy little girl that didn't have her first kiss yet, but we do know she lived in the US, and was engaged and thus had an adult relationship with a man, so she knows how things go. Yet, we have this setting in the house of the FLs parents, who by the way are supposed to be poor, while the very rich son of a doctor and a busniesswoman, somehow has lived across in almost the same house? How? These two families are of completely different financial background and they certainly never lived in the same neighbourhood even, also not in the past?

Next thing? I really don't like ANY of the characters, they all annoy the hell out of me. Jung Hae-in? He is not funny, it's not his area of acting, at least not in such badly written drama, no one could make this seem remotely funny. It seems staged and almost exhausting for him to do these supposedly 'funny'lines, it's so obviously not him and it's unwatchable for me as I know he is a really good actor in other settings.
The FL and her constant screaming and nagging and physically attacking everyone? Not cute, not romantic, not anything, just annoying. Same goes for her mother, screaming all the time and physically attacking people.

Then the storyline, was there any way to make this any more unbelievable. Not only does or ML wait until forever for that girl that steadily beat him up and screamed at him, no, when he finally decides to tell her he likes her (again, like two 12-year-old would act, not like mid-thirties), out of nowhere, in exactly that moment, the even more unlikable ex fiancee stands there blablahing something staged about wanting to get back together with the FL. I laughed out loud at that scene, how ridiculous, who wrote this?

Not enough, our FL, who is screaming and attacking people at random all the time does not say anything to anything. The ML confesses - no reaction, no answer. And no, that milk bag scene with the expiry date was not funny. Why not just talk like adults? It's all Kindergarten. Why? It's not cute, it's so annoying. Same with the even worse situations when both men are 'fighting' over her. The ex-fiancee can just stalk her and show up at any time with this psycho grin and she always lets him talk instead of just finally telling him off. She does not decide anything at any point which contradicts the aggressive and loud character she is otherwise supposed to. And now, to add insult to injury they even come up with a cancer story? Come OOOON!

I think this is the worst drama I tried to watch in a longer time, and there were several bad dramas in the past two years as my impression is the quality of storytelling and writing has been going down the drain in the past two years compared to years like 2016, 2017, 2018, where there were several brilliant dramas per year.

So, no, please South Korean writers and drama producers, you can do better. Not even generally good actors help anything if it is just unwatchably bad.
I give the 2,5 instaed of 1.0 for the acting of the FL's father, as I think he is really good and actually the only one I find credible in his role.

Dropped, and I mean dropped out of a skyscraper in this case.

Leia Mais

Too Many Messages That Want to be Conveyed.

From what I know, when we create a story, we should include messages that readers can take away after reading it. But we shouldn't tell readers what they should take from our story.

This drama explicitly teaches viewers what message they should take away after watching it.

That's what makes this drama quite awkward to watch as the final episodes approach. They want to convey so many messages and lessons that the flow of the story becomes rushed in their attempt to deliver these messages.

Honestly, the acting and chemistry of the cast were quite good in episodes 1 to 8. But as the end approached, the performances of the main characters JSM and JHI felt very awkward and forced. It even seemed like it wasn’t well written. They appeared to be acting, presenting disjointed scenes that seemed created just to convey specific messages.

Among all the characters, the second couple had stronger character development. Their arcs flowed well, and their story is what kept me engaged in finishing this drama. Honestly, the character with the weakest writing in this drama is Seok Ryu. His character seems not fully developed, making me, as someone who has watched JSM since "Playful Kiss," feel that his acting here is quite poor. It lacks naturalness, is overly exaggerated, and looks like acting. He has always succeeded in portraying characters well in previous dramas. JHI’s acting also felt very awkward; I've seen her perform several times, but here, her performance is the weakest compared to her previous dramas.

And the most disappointing thing is that, despite having four main characters in this drama, the first couple and second couple do not have a strong enough bond to portray a 'friendship' among the four of them. This is very different from watching dramas like "Fight My Way" or "Because This Is My First Life."

For this drama, I genuinely regret the writers and director for creating something like this. Both are quite well-known for producing quality dramas, so my expectations were high. Additionally, the genre doesn't fit the drama. I couldn’t find the romantic comedy elements in this show. Romance might be seen at the end of the episodes, but where's the comedy? This drama should have been labeled as a slice of life.

This drama actually has the potential to be good. The side character stories are well-crafted and not boring to watch. The issue lies in the main characters' stories, which are the most tedious, even though they are the core of the drama. That's what makes this drama less engaging.

Leia Mais

Bland and often boring

I watched this drama because of the leads, but the writing here really didn't give them much to work with. This is the kind of drama that drags a lot, especially towards the end. There isn't much of a plot (which on its own is fine), but it's made worse because the drama doesn't work on an emotional level, and it's not good as a comedy either. It's just not written in a way that makes you feel anything, and for all the talent/charisma that the leads have, they can't create magic out of nothing. Some of that is because this drama is simply too long - there are a lot of filler scenes that feel very predictable and boring.

This is what I imagine eating food without any seasoning feels like.

Leia Mais

Failed Imitation: A Lack of Emotional Depth in a Series Losing Its Direction.

It started as a failed attempt at comedy and quickly devolved into melodrama.

From the beginning, I noticed a strong resemblance to screenwriter Kim Eun's ideas, especially since the lead actor starred in two of her successful scripts. The plot appears to focus on a woman's supposed growth, with a secondary romantic element to add interest to an otherwise boring and cliché story of achieving the "American Dream."

In my opinion, the attempt to imitate Kim Eun's script failed, as it looks like a weak copy.


One in eight women on average suffers from some form of cancer, yet this fact has no connection to the beginning of the series. In contrast, Kim Eun's scripts intertwine romance with reflections on a woman's status in conservative Korean society, showing her struggle to break conventions. The romance is essential, woven into the dynamics between partners.

Here, The development feels disconnected and lacks the depth of Kim Eun's approach.

Leia Mais

A refreshing story with missed potential

This show had the potential to be great but missed its opportunity by a thin margin. 7.5/10

Let's start with the notable positives:
- Fairly realistic characters
I must say that the characters were really fleshed out. I especially liked Seok Ryu's backstory since it is similar to mine. I liked that they highlighted that always being hard working and "perfect" is not a good thing and anyone can fall down and take a break to recover. Moeum and Danho also had charming personalities and just shone on the screen. Even SeungHyo who is seemingly perfect has his immature and stubborn sides which made him seem more human.
- The casting was perfect
The casting couldn't be more perfect. The actors had great chemistry with each other and it seemed real. Especially the actor for Danho, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. What a great discovery !
- Complex family dynamics
They really showcased the different family dynamics well. Not all family seems the same as it does outside and all families have their own problems. I liked that the parents were not always likeable and had their own flaws which is how most parents are. The writer is definitely talented in writing fleshed out and real characters.

Now lets move onto the notable negatives
- The hot and cold pacing
The pacing felt choppy. Some major issues were solved very quickly while some minor issues were dragged out. Some incidents happened so out of the blue that it was obvious to be a plot device. Something in the plot direction just didn't feel consistent.
- The lack of romantic tension
I actually liked the second couple more since they had more romantic tension than the main couple. Even if they were childhood friends, some sort of tension is required for us to relate to what they're feeling. Maybe because the actors are too good, the image of them being childhood friends was etched too strong in my mind. Their interactions in the story after that weren't strong enough to change that image. They absolutely had chemistry but not enough tension to keep me on my toes.
- Repetition of the same plot with obvious tropes
Every few episodes had the same framework. Seok Ryu gets caught for something by her parents, they fight, SeungHyo supports her, they reunite..... the same thing happened like three times in only 16 episodes. Then there was the ex-boyfriend arc which is to be expected at this point. But I couldn't stand the characters always talking to themselves. It was like in every episode and was just awkward to see mid 30s characters talking to themselves. Plus the PPL of the products were too obvious and felt like watching an ad in the middle of the episode.

Overall thoughts:
I Don’t mind slice of life dramas, they're actually healing to watch. I actually understood from the first episode that we're gonna see more about each character's growth and a slow burn romance. But I didn't expect that the pacing to be this choppy and the plot to have cliched tropes. They could've made it more iconic like "When the camillia bloom", "Welcome to Samdalri" or "Hometown Cha cha" but something was missing and left me unsatisfied in some aspects. In the end, I enjoyed myself to some extent and taste is subjective so this might work well for other viewers.

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I lost sleep thinking about how bad this drama turned out to be

I feel tricked. I was SO hyped for this drama. I love me some friends to lovers action, and the fact that we were getting Jung So Min and Jung Hae In as the faces for it this time? I was SOLD. Besides them, the cast was packed, and it was perfect. There was so much potential, and the first couple of episodes seemed to be fulfilling it, until they weren't.

The fault lies in this being marketed as a romcom. It was NOT a romcom. I could count on my fingers the number of comedic scenes we got, but only if they are memorable enough, which they are not. You would think, well, even if the comedic aspect of it flopped, we still have the romance, right? We don't. The romance was worse than the comedy. So forced, so uninspiring, so bland. By the time we actually got to the romance after all those intense storylines -- that we did not ask for -- were done and dealt with, I did not care. If I did, I would have loved every second of the abundant amount of fluff we got in the remaining six episodes; instead, I wanted to just fast forward through the whole thing.

The biggest reason why was the lack of good development. The writer was so honed in on making the sad storylines impactful, she spent little to no time on gradually building up the romance. I genuinely felt like the leads were picked up and dropped into a relationship, and I was expected to immediately be invested in them. That is NOT how it works. You're supposed to make me root for the characters to get together. Give me some angst, some tension, those little cute moments when the leads know they like each other but haven't confessed yet, like those furtive yet admiring glances cast at the other when he/she isn't looking, accidental occurrences of physical touch that leaves them flustered, etc. You have so much source material to work with, and what do you give us? Nothing.

The second leads' romantic storyline seemed much promising in comparison, but they ruined that too. Mo Eum's strange obsession with being Yeon Du's mom was so weird. When she confessed to Dan Ho, the first words out of her mouth were, "I wish I could be Yeon Du's mom." Then, when they did start dating, and it's time to break the news to said girl, what are Mo Eum's first words? "Can you give me the chance to become your mom?" I bet you a hundred bucks that if the roles were reversed, and it was a man insisting on being the female love interest's daughter's father, it would raise several eyebrows. By the end of this drama, I was convinced she was dating Dan Ho to be with that little girl, because they shared none of the physical intimacy that would indicate they were in an actual relationship. It was drier than the Atacama Desert.

I could spare a couple more paragraphs for how unfulfilling the romance was, but I'll end it with what I once never thought I would say: Seok Ryu and Seung Hyo should have stayed friends. They were way more bearable together when they were at each other's throats all the time.

A couple other things I dislike were Mi Suk, which most of the viewers agree with; Hye Suk and her husband's reconciliation and subsequent honeymoon phase (was that vow renewal ceremony necessary?); characters making up with each other only after the other was on the brink of death, which is such lazy writing; storylines unfolding in a non-linear manner, which kept the confusion and questions going for several episodes, to the point of it being infuriating as hell; the friends never bothering to figure out WHY Seok Ryu left America and broke her engagement in the beginning and whether she was okay, just for the sake of dragging out the story even more; Seung Hyo's ex being such a blatant plot device instead of a subtle one.

Some things I liked, I guess, to balance it out:

- Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu's first kiss. It was beautiful and sweet. I almost cried during it.
- Seok Ryu pointing out the double standards between her and her brother, which I really related to as an older sister. Every time Seok Ryu confronted her mom about how unfair she was to her hit hard.
- The Lavender sisters. I genuinely enjoyed all of their scenes. Their chemistry was amazing.
- Scenes where most of the cast was together, like Geum sik's last night at his restaurant, or Seok Ryu's belated welcome home party that Seung Hyo planned and them going home together and joking around afterwards, etc. The actors and their chemistry with each other was the saving grace for this drama, because the story was hellbent on being bad.
- Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu's banter in the earlier episodes. I enjoyed every second of it. At least the friends aspect of the friends to lovers trope was done well.
- Seok Ryu and Seung Hyo as kids. The child actors were PHENOMENAL, especially the girl who played Seok Ryu. They were so adorable.
- In the earlier episodes, Seung Hyo showing up whenever Seok Ryu called even though he said he wouldn't come, or following her around while pretending it was the greatest inconvenience ever.
- Whoever styled Jung So Min for this show deserves a raise. Her outfits were ALWAYS so good, and the one thing that I really admired was Seok Ryu sporting different hairstyles at times instead of the same straight blowout, which imo takes away from the realism of the drama.

There are a lot of other minor and major details that I absolutely loved. It's just sad that the story being so inadequate in quality dimmed its luster. All in all, I don't think I'll rewatch the drama; maybe I'll just revisit Seung Hyo and Seok Ryu's scenes from the first couple of episodes to feel some of that excitement that was so palpable when the drama first started airing.

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